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> 5) Knowing this, NSA's hackers (TAO) are told not to leave their hack tools ("binaries") on the server after an op. But people get lazy. I know enough to say

> 5) Knowing this, NSA's hackers (TAO) are told not to leave their hack tools ("binaries") on the server after an op. But people get lazy. I know enough to say that this sentence reveals a lot about what snowden knows, and what he doesn't. Mostly the latter. He doesn't seem to understand the context and meaning of acronyms he uses.

jmnicolas 10y ago
I know enough to say that an anonymous comment on the internet pretending to know about NSA procedures & jargon is not worth much especially when said comment is attacking someone we know for sure had access to the NSA.
- irishcoffee 10y ago
  Alright bud. I don't have a facebook, twitter, instagram, or any of that other stuff, so I'm not sure how to refute your claim of anonymous. I can say that anonymous hostile replies sure don't do much to further the conversation. What do they say, something about pots and kettles?
  - Someone1234 10y ago
    A year ago you said you don't work for the NSA or DoD but know one person who does: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9297990 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9297990 Are you seriously expecting us to believe that your friend is telling you how the NSA is internally structured and how sensitive foreign operation intelligence programs work? Plus in another comment of yours you claimed to know how General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle worked behind the scenes but when asked to post more info you never did. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10954248 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10954248 So you're seemingly a Linux admin, but know tons about the inner workings of both military contractors, the DoD, and NSA from your single friend? Seems uhh a stretch, let's just say that.
    - runjake 10y ago
      > Plus in another comment of yours you claimed to know how General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle He spelled it "Grey Eagle". It's unlikely one can actually speak "professionally" about a program when they can't spell it correctly. If you're part of the program, you're seeing/typing/writing the name "Gray Eagle" day in/day out.
      - irishcoffee 10y ago
        Heh, if you're part of the program, you may also call it 280, or 64-bit. But, you'd only know that if, ya know, you're actually part of the program.
        solipsism 10y ago
        Oh no, I'm part of the program now!
    - onetwotree 10y ago
      I think his username explains the driving force behind this inconsistency. I posted a lot of BS on the internet while drinking in the morning.
      - irishcoffee 10y ago
        You must be young. It's generally an after-dinner dessert drink.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
opaque 10y ago
Care to elaborate? TAO (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailored_Access_Operations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailored_Access_Operations) seems fine to me.
- irishcoffee 10y ago
  TAO is composed of much, much more than "hackers". To give him the benefit of the doubt, his comment shows willful ignorance of this fact.
  - Someone1234 10y ago
    No it doesn't. To use an analogy this is like someone saying the "US Army" in reference to infantrymen specifically and then someone, such as yourself, coming along throwing their hands up and saying "The US Army is composed of much more than just 'infantrymen,' this comment shows willful ignorance of that fact." We can all read the Wikipedia article on the TAO[0]. You aren't fooling anyone by acting like you know more than is publically available, and trying to correct someone who provably worked for the NSA seems at best arrogant, at worst ridiculous. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailored_Access_Operations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailored_Access_Operations
  - ceejayoz 10y ago
    C'mon, it's Twitter, where you only have 140 characters. He's not going to type out "NSA's hackers (generally part of the group known as Tailored Access Operations, but there are some in other groups)" just so you can't be pedantic.
pests 10y ago
The quoted tweet uses two acronyms. Which is incorrect? You say acronyms as a plural. Can you please identify two or more specific usages (hopefully with citation!) of Snowden using acronyms incorrectly?
- irishcoffee 10y ago
  TAO is composed of much more than hackers, and hackers are in other groups besides TAO. No, I don't have link-able sources.
  - fweespeech 10y ago
    Yes, TAO is more than hackers. NSA isn't the only organization in possession of SigInt groups which operate like this, hell, its a pretty long list of groups. However, you may want to consider Snowden isn't hostile enough to go through and list ever group in the US that maintains an arsenal of malware for operations in public. That doesn't necessarily mean ignorance, a more generous interpretation is everyone knows about TAO so he calls it TAO. I realize you probably don't like the guy, but would you really preferred he list off every SigInt group in the US with a malware arsenal just to cover all his bases and all of their component groups that operate in relation to it? Idk about you, but I don't need him to post org charts of all of that to get the gist.
  - cinquemb 10y ago
    Seems like it would a be a fun multidisciplinary place to work, but wouldn't wanna jump through all the hoops and tend to weight any quest for "secret" knowledge with such that the limit approaches zero.
    - js8 10y ago
      > it would a be a fun multidisciplinary place to work They apparently don't shy from morally questionable ways to accomplish their goals. So if you are into it.. Snowden actually wasn't and that was one of the reasons why he decided to quit CIA and eventually become a whistleblower.

jmnicolas 10y ago

I know enough to say that an anonymous comment on the internet pretending to know about NSA procedures & jargon is not worth much especially when said comment is attacking someone we know for sure had access to the NSA.

irishcoffee 10y ago
Alright bud. I don't have a facebook, twitter, instagram, or any of that other stuff, so I'm not sure how to refute your claim of anonymous. I can say that anonymous hostile replies sure don't do much to further the conversation. What do they say, something about pots and kettles?
- Someone1234 10y ago
  A year ago you said you don't work for the NSA or DoD but know one person who does: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9297990 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9297990 Are you seriously expecting us to believe that your friend is telling you how the NSA is internally structured and how sensitive foreign operation intelligence programs work? Plus in another comment of yours you claimed to know how General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle worked behind the scenes but when asked to post more info you never did. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10954248 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10954248 So you're seemingly a Linux admin, but know tons about the inner workings of both military contractors, the DoD, and NSA from your single friend? Seems uhh a stretch, let's just say that.
  - runjake 10y ago
    > Plus in another comment of yours you claimed to know how General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle He spelled it "Grey Eagle". It's unlikely one can actually speak "professionally" about a program when they can't spell it correctly. If you're part of the program, you're seeing/typing/writing the name "Gray Eagle" day in/day out.
    - irishcoffee 10y ago
      Heh, if you're part of the program, you may also call it 280, or 64-bit. But, you'd only know that if, ya know, you're actually part of the program.
      - solipsism 10y ago
        Oh no, I'm part of the program now!
  - onetwotree 10y ago
    I think his username explains the driving force behind this inconsistency. I posted a lot of BS on the internet while drinking in the morning.
    - irishcoffee 10y ago
      You must be young. It's generally an after-dinner dessert drink.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

opaque 10y ago

Care to elaborate? TAO (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailored_Access_Operations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailored_Access_Operations) seems fine to me.

irishcoffee 10y ago
TAO is composed of much, much more than "hackers". To give him the benefit of the doubt, his comment shows willful ignorance of this fact.
- Someone1234 10y ago
  No it doesn't. To use an analogy this is like someone saying the "US Army" in reference to infantrymen specifically and then someone, such as yourself, coming along throwing their hands up and saying "The US Army is composed of much more than just 'infantrymen,' this comment shows willful ignorance of that fact." We can all read the Wikipedia article on the TAO[0]. You aren't fooling anyone by acting like you know more than is publically available, and trying to correct someone who provably worked for the NSA seems at best arrogant, at worst ridiculous. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailored_Access_Operations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailored_Access_Operations
- ceejayoz 10y ago
  C'mon, it's Twitter, where you only have 140 characters. He's not going to type out "NSA's hackers (generally part of the group known as Tailored Access Operations, but there are some in other groups)" just so you can't be pedantic.

pests 10y ago

The quoted tweet uses two acronyms. Which is incorrect? You say acronyms as a plural. Can you please identify two or more specific usages (hopefully with citation!) of Snowden using acronyms incorrectly?

irishcoffee 10y ago
TAO is composed of much more than hackers, and hackers are in other groups besides TAO. No, I don't have link-able sources.
- fweespeech 10y ago
  Yes, TAO is more than hackers. NSA isn't the only organization in possession of SigInt groups which operate like this, hell, its a pretty long list of groups. However, you may want to consider Snowden isn't hostile enough to go through and list ever group in the US that maintains an arsenal of malware for operations in public. That doesn't necessarily mean ignorance, a more generous interpretation is everyone knows about TAO so he calls it TAO. I realize you probably don't like the guy, but would you really preferred he list off every SigInt group in the US with a malware arsenal just to cover all his bases and all of their component groups that operate in relation to it? Idk about you, but I don't need him to post org charts of all of that to get the gist.
- cinquemb 10y ago
  Seems like it would a be a fun multidisciplinary place to work, but wouldn't wanna jump through all the hoops and tend to weight any quest for "secret" knowledge with such that the limit approaches zero.
  - js8 10y ago
    > it would a be a fun multidisciplinary place to work They apparently don't shy from morally questionable ways to accomplish their goals. So if you are into it.. Snowden actually wasn't and that was one of the reasons why he decided to quit CIA and eventually become a whistleblower.